Control and guide for bowling ball



7 June 18, 1963 R. H. BLACK- I 001mm AND GUIDE FOR BOWLING BALL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 2'7. 1961 Li INVEN TOR. 7 ROBERT H BLACK June 18, 1963 HQ BLACK 3,094,329

CONTROL AND GUIDE FOR BOWLING BALL Filed Feb. 27, 1961 2 Sheds-Sheet 2 1- INVENTOR. Rosier H BLACK United States Patent 3,094,329 CONTROL AND GUIDE FOR BOWLING BALL Robert H. Black, 434 S. Kenmore, N0. 305, Los Angeles 5, Calif. Filed Feb. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 91,786 9 Claims. (Cl. 273-49) This invention relates to means for controlling bowling balls that enter the pit at the end of a bowling alley and guiding the movement thereof thereafter, it being an object of the invention to so control and guide balls that their progress toward return mechanism is greatly facilitated to lessen the time that a bowler waits for the ball so play may be resumed.

In automatic pin spotters which set pin-conveying and pin-spotting means into operation, the ball frequently wanders around the pit, usually back and forth between the end of the alley and the backstop. Such wandering slows movement of the ball to discharge and, therefore, to a ball-return mechanism. Ball Wandering, at least in part, is due to the desirability of padding the pit walls to minimize wear on the balls and pins as well as the noises accompanying entry into the pit of the ball and pins felled thereby. Unduly long delays in the course of the play and, therefore, loss of income to the alley operator result.

Another object of the invention is to provide means of the character above referred to that, after the ball enters the pit and performs its function of setting certain mechanism into operation, restricts its path of movement toward discharge to, thereby, eliminate wandering thereof in the pit.

A further object of the invention is to combine such restricting means with a traveling pitched support surface to further lessen the time that it takes a ball in the pit to exit therefrom.

This invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description, and which is based on the accompanying drawings. However, said drawings merely show, and the following description merely describes, one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of control and guide means for bowling balls and embodying a preferred form of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view as taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1, the view showing the adjacent end of a bowling alley.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan sectional View as taken on the line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 shows the end of a bowling alley 5, it being understood that, in the course of a bowling game, a ball 6 rolls off said alley end and the same may fell one or more bowling pins 7 that fall, together with the ball, into the pit 8 beyond said alley end.

The present ball control and guide means 10' is disposed at the end of alley 5, its floor, as will later be described,

' constituting the pit 8. Said means 10 comprises, generally, a frame 11 having a ball-discharging side opening 12, a continuously moving balland pin-transporting means 13 constituting a floor for the pit 8 and arranged to slope downwardly toward the side of the frame that has the opening 12, a balanced backstop 14 for said pit and dis- 3,094,329 Patented June 18, 1963 "ice posed above the means 13 to intercept a ball falling from the alley 5 onto the means 13 and transported by said means away from the alley, a flexible drop 15 between the alley end and the means 14 and forming with the means a guide path 16 for a ball moving toward the opening 12, and backup flaps 17 to limit the displacement of the drop 15.

The frame 11 is shown as having side walls 20 that may be lined, as shown in FIG. 1, with compressible nonmetallic material 21, and side frame supports 22 between which the means 13 and from which the walls 20' extend upwardly. The member 23 of FIG. 2 is typical of frame members that integrate the frame 111 and support the same from longitudinal sill members 24. In any case, the frame 11 affords an interior space, the lower portion 7 of which constitutes the pit 8, the same being open at the front for balls 6 entering the pit and open at the rear for pins 7 that are discharged by the means 13 into pinelevating means for transport to pin-spotting means located above the alley 5 immediately forward of the pit 8. Said elevating and spotting means are not shown since the same are not part of the present ball control and guide means.

On the side of the frame 11 opposite to the side having the opening 12, a sloping lined wall part 25 is provided for directing pins away from the edge of the balland pintransporting means 13 and toward the middle of the pit. On the opposite side, the wall 20 is provided with an inwardly and rearwardly sloped wall part 26 that terminates in a rearward edge 27 inward of and forwardly spaced from the edge 28 of the opening 12. Thus, as seen in FIG. 3, a relatively large ball-passing space is defined between edges 27 and 28, although, as seen in FIG. 2, in a direction normal to the plane of frame sides 20, the opening is reduced to a size smaller than a ball. This can be seen in FIG. 2 and it will be evident that a ball can exit from opening 12 only by being given a forward impetus after the same moves past the edge 27. A horizontal downwardly sloping wall part 29 extends from the wall 20 to the top edge of wall part 26, and a somewhat similar sloping Wall part 30 extends from the lower edge of wall part 26 toward but clear of the means 13. It will be clear that said wall parts 28, 29 and 30 guide a ball and pins toward the middle of the pit so that the same may be transported rearwardly. Said wall parts are lined, as are walls 20, to minimize noise and damage.

The balland pin-transporting means 13- is shown as an endless web 31 that is trained over rollers 32 and 33, one of which is driven in a direction to move the upper run 34 of the web in a rearward direction according to arrow 35. A web-tensioning roller 36 is provided between rollers 32 and 33, as is a support floor 37 for said run 34. The rollers, in the usual way are mounted between bearings, of which the bearings 38 are examples, and, thereby, are carried by the frame 11. As is shown in FIG. 1, said web is sloped so that said run 34 is lower at the side toward opening 12 than at the opposite side. As a consequence, a ball 6 falling upon said run 34, in addition to its own momentum which, of course, may vary, will be transported rearwardly. During such rearward movement of the ball, the same will progress down the slope of the run 34 toward the opening 12.

During such rearward progress of the ball, the same will strike against the backstop 14 with varying but substantial force that is used to institute operation of other functions of a pin-spotting mechanism in which the present means is incorporated. Said backstop 14 is here shown as a transverse wall 39 that is provided with a thick pad 40 because subject to the mentioned substantial force, a pivot 41 on a transverse frame member 42 from which said wall is freely suspended to swing between a normal vertical forward position and a rearwardly angled position when struck by a ball, and a counterweight 43 that balances said wall to its normal position.

It will be seen from FIG. 1 that the wall 39 has its lower edge 44 spaced above and parallel to the run 34 of the transport web 31, the spacing being such as to allow pins 7 resting onsaid run to be transported toward the rear end of the pit 8 to fall upon a transition plate 45 from which the pins move toward elevating means. Said edge is low enough to cause interception of a ball, as can be seen from FIG. 1.

Toward the low end of the backstop, the same is provided with -a rearwardly recessed wall 46 which, as seen in FIG. 3, cooperates with edge 27 of wall part 26 to allow a ball to move past said edge 27 and thence through the wall opening 12. To guide the ball at this point, a sloping return wall part 47 is provided on the low end of the backstop, the ball thus being guided in the path of arrow 48 through opening 12.

It will be understood that the balanced and free-hanging backstop will be forced rearwardly by a ball striking the same, to the dot-dash line position of FIG. 2, thereby actuating a gravity switch 49 or other such device. Suitable stop means 50 may be provided to limit such rear ward movement of the backstop.

It will be evident that an unimpeded ball, striking the backstop with substantial force, will carom off the wall in reaction to the wall-tilting force. Such a ball will react in a direction toward. the alley and will be given a reverse spinning movement by the web 31, such that it will slow its return back toward the backstop and toward the recessed wall 46 thereof to be clear of the edge 27 of wall part 26. Whether or not pins 7 are involved, the ball will thus be retarded in its movement toward discharge off the low side edge of the means 13'.

The flexible drop 15 is provided to prevent such timedelaying wandering of the ball after the same has struck the backstop 14. In this instance, said means 15 is shown as a transverse bar 51 above the pit, forward of the backstop 14, and a flexible, preferably rubber-coated or -impregnated, curtain 52 that is suspended from said rod and has a lower edge 53 spaced above and parallel to the web run 34. Except for its own light weight, said curtain is unweighted andfreely yields to a ball striking the lower edge 53 thereof. Thus, as the ball progresses toward the backstop, it will pass beneath the rearwardly deflected edge of the curtain and the latter will then fall back to its pendent position, forming the mentioned guide path 16.

The curtain 52 will slow the ball somewhat but, because the same is being moved rearwardly by the web 31, it will retain an impetus. suflicient to cause tilting of the backstop and actuation of the switch 49. However, the ball is now prevented by curtain 52 from wandering, as before described, and will follow the path 16 toward opening 12 with easier facility than if the curtain were not present.

There may be instances when the lightweight curtain 52 will be deflected rearward with such force as to cause the same to snag on the backstop. In such case, the curtain could not return to pendent position, nor could the backstop return to its normal position. The backup flaps 17 are provided to prevent such snagging, since the same limit rearwarddisplacement of the curtain 52-.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is not desired to restrict the invention totheparticular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In control and guide means for bowling balls, a tiltable backstop across the path of movement of a bowling ball, and a flexible pendent curtain spaced from the backstop to form, with the backstop, a guiding path for said ball after the same has moved past the lower edge of the curtain and into striking engagement with the backstop, said path being wider than the diameter of the ball, the lower edge of the curtain sloping from one side edge to the other thereof and a moving web spaced beneath said edge to support a ball while the same is moving along said path.

2. In control and guide means according to claim 1, said web sloping according to the slope of the curtain edge.

3. Control and guide means for bowling balls comprising a moving ball conveyor web disposed on a slope from side to side thereof, a tiltable backstop above and transverse to the conveyor and against which balls transported by the conveyor are adapted to strike, and a flexible pendent curtain forward of and parallel to the backstop and having a free lower edge in the path of movement of the ball toward the backstop to deflect said curtain during such ball movement, the curtain and backstop being spaced to define between them a transverse path for the ball after the same has moved past said curtain edge and while the ball is moving along the slope of the conveyor web.

4. Control and guide means according to claim 3 in which said lower curtain edge is sloped to be substantially parallel to the sloping conveyor web.

5. Control and guide means for bowling balls comprising a moving ball conveyor web disposed on a slope from side to side thereof, a tiltable backstop above and transverse to the conveyor and against which balls transported by the conveyor are adapted to strike, a flexible pendent curtain forward of and parallel to the backstop and having a free lower edge in the path of movement of the ball toward the backstop to deflect said curtain during such ball movement, the curtain and backstop being spaced to define between them a transverse path for the ball after the same has moved past said curtain edge and while the ball is moving along the slope of the conveyor web, and means to limit deflection of the curtain in a direction toward the backstop.

6. In control and guide means for bowling balls, a tiltable backstop across the path of movement of a bowling ball, and a flexible pendent curtain spaced from the backstop to form, with the backstop, a guiding path for said ball after the same has moved past the lower edge of the curtain and into striking engagement with the backstop, said path being wider than the diameter of the ball, the lower edge of the curtain sloping from one side edge to the other thereof, and a web moving transversely to the curtain and backstop and spaced beneath said curtain edge to support a ball while the same is moving along said path.

7. Control and guide means for bowling balls comprising, in combination, a pit floor mounted to move in a rearward direction and disposed on a transverse slope, a backstop across the path of movement of a bowling ball with its lower edge spaced above the floor a distance less than the diameter of a bowling ball and greater than the height of a fallen pin being transported rearwardly by the floor to allow such a pin to pass freely beneath the backstop, a gravity switch carried by the backstop, a hinge mounting the backstop for rearward pivotal deflection on said hinge when struck by a bowling ball to cause actuation of the switch, and a transverse flexible pendent curtain forwardly spaced from the backstop and having a free lower edge spaced from the pit floor a distance less than the diameter of a ball and rearwardly deflected by a ball to slow the impetus of the latter before striking the backstop so that the ball is rearwardly moved by the pit floor toward the backstop after said ball has moved past the deflected lower edge of the curtain, said backstop and curtain defining between them a path for the ball that is wider than the diameter of the ball so that the latter 5 is free to roll down the slope of the floor for egress from the pit.

8. Control and guide means for bowling balls according to claim 7 provided with a stop to limit the rearward deflection of the backstop.

9. Control and guide means for bowling balls according to claim 7 provided with means to limit the deflection of the curtain.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Mellen Feb. 10, 1903 Redfield Sept. 18, 1923 Simpson Nov. 21, 1950 Zuercher et a1. Oct. 2, 1956 

7. CONTROL AND GUIDE MEANS FOR BOWLING BALLS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A PIT FLOOR MOUNTED TO MOVE IN A REARWARD DIRECTION AND DISPOSED ON A TRANSVERSE SLOPE, A BACKSTOP ACROSS THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF A BOWLING BALL WITH ITS LOWER EDGE SPACED ABOVE THE FLOOR A DISTANCE LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF A BOWLING BALL AND GREATER THAN THE HEIGHT OF A FALLEN PIN BEING TRANSPORTED REARWARDLY BY THE FLOOR TO ALLOW SUCH A PIN TO PASS FREELY BENEATH THE BACKSTOP, A GRAVITY SWITCH CARRIED BY THE BACKSTOP, A HINGE MOUNTING THE BACKSTOP FOR REARWARD PIVOTAL DEFLECTION ON SAID HINGE WHEN STRUCK BY A BOWLING BALL TO CAUSE ACTUATION OF THE SWITCH, AND A TRANSVERSE FLEXIBLE PENDENT CURTAIN FORWARDLY SPACED FROM THE BACKSTOP AND HAVING A FREE LOWER EDGE SPACED FROM THE PIT FLOOR A DISTANCE LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF A BALL AND REARWARDLY DEFLECTED BY A BALL TO SLOW THE IMPETUS OF THE LATTER BEFORE STRIKING THE BACKSTOP SO THAT THE BALL IS REARWARDLY MOVED BY THE PIT FLOOR TOWARD THE BACKSTOP AFTER SAID BALL HAS MOVED PAST THE DEFLECTED LOWER EDGE OF THE CURTAIN, SAID BACKSTOP AND CURTAIN DEFINING BETWEEN THEM A PATH FOR THE BALL THAT IS WIDER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE BALL SO THAT THE LATTER IS FREE TO ROLL DOWN THE SLOPE OF THE FLOOR FOR EGRESS FROM THE PIT. 